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December 2017

Labor Department Officially Delays Start of Fiduciary Rule

By | Blog, New in Compliance

December 4, 2017:  Last week, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) officially announced an 18-month extension for the start of key provisions of the Fiduciary Rule. DOL announced that the special Transition Period for the Fiduciary Rule’s Best Interest Contract Exemption (“BICE”) and the Principal Transactions Exemption, and the applicability of certain amendments to Prohibited Transaction Exemption 84-24 (PTEs), will move from January 1, 2018 to July 1, 2019. The extension gives DOL time to consider public comments, review the Fiduciary Rule and related exemptions, and coordinate with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and other securities and insurance regulators. The delay underscores the DOL’s objectives of protecting retirement investors and avoiding unnecessary restrictions imposed upon retirement investors by financial service firms scrambling to fully implement the rule.

The DOL action leaves in place the Fiduciary Rule, effective June 9, 2017, including the revised definitions of fiduciary and investment advice that apply to ERISA plans and IRAs. The DOL’s action continues to recognize various exemptions permitted under the rule. Financial services organizations may rely on the BICE and the Principal Transactions Exemption if they satisfy the Impartial Conduct Standards. The impartial conduct standards, also referred to as the best-interest standard, which took effect on June 9, require fiduciary advisers to adhere to a best-interest standard when making investment recommendations, charge no more than reasonable compensation for their services, and refrain from making misleading statements. Read More